Can there be such a thing as a "bad" Samaritan? After all- we always hear the word Samaritan coupled with the word "good". But on a recent night in the city of Chicago- I, myself, I think, fell into the category of "bad" Samaritan.
It's one of those experiences that keeps you wondering what the right action could have been. Knowing what to do in most situations is a skill set of mine . . so why would this situation leave me so unprepared for the right course of action? Or to feel so strange about the course of action I pursued? Have I been trained and taught to act unlike myself in certain situations? You be the judge.
On a recent Sunday evening, I found myself driving in a strange neighborhood in the city at dusk. The car in front of me, a Chevy, was driving erratically, weaving from side to side so I gave it plenty of room thinking the guy may have had a little too much to drink.
We both turned onto a major street with two way traffic. The car in front of me crawled to a stop but got so close to crossing the line into the oncoming traffic that buses and cars alike were honking at him. From behind- I honked my horn so as to get around his car.
"Pick a lane", I yelled, totally frustrated with this person's actions and snail's pace. When I finally gained enough space to pull around the guy, I looked over with a look of disdain on my face. And it is there, in that moment, that I saw the driver for the first time.
Unconscious and slumped in his seat, with only the seat belt holding him upright, eyes closed, was the driver. Did he have an attack? Die? Fall asleep? Should I stop? Try to help? My mind was racing.
And then all those years of working in the city of Detroit kicked in. You see, my first job out of college was in inner city Detroit (hey- someone had to work there!) where my employer sent us to "survival classes" to learn what to do in certain situations. Stay in your car. Do not try to help. Phone the police. Keep moving.
It was as if that training was yesterday and not 20 years ago when it actually happened. So this Samaritan (good or bad) did just that. Grabbed an address, a license plate number, phoned 911 and went on my way.
But it haunts me still today if I did enough. Would I want someone to just leave me there unconscious in my car? What if he needed immediate care? Was there really anything more I could do?
When do we ever know if what we think is the right action, really is?
I don't think we ever really know, but what I do know is that you lived to tell this story. Now that may not be enough to put your mind at ease, but is certainly better than a scenario that has you being baited to pulling over and then violated or even killed. At times like these, I think that "little voice" inside of us takes over and I'm sure that if you REALLY felt at peace with the situation, you would have pulled over. I hate to say it, but we simply do not live in a world where we can trust blindly anymore. That's just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteBesides, you DID help by calling 911 anyway. Your chosen course of action was the best choice possible given all the facts you had. I commend you.